


Interference & Intercourse

by kennac



Series: The Ampersand Series [5]
Category: Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon, Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 03:16:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kennac/pseuds/kennac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fluffy Frank/Nancy short. It’s only a few days before the wedding. Frank and Nancy are trying to be good, but the Hardy family meddling is doing little to help the situation. Minor spoilers for Shadows & Swindlers non-mystery subplots. </p>
<p>Rated M for mature content. Rating is for tasteful heterosexual content. Definitely not for the children. Thanks to Confidential Brunette, who’s periodic requests for ‘a little romance’ during the on-going posting of Shadows & Swindlers inspired this piece. I hope you enjoy!</p>
<p>Disclaimer: Obviously, I don’t own the original characters or they would likely remain the innocent teens that they are in the related series ;)  I make no money from this … but payment in the form of reviews is gratefully accepted!</p>
<p>Happy reading!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interference & Intercourse

Laura Hardy hummed quietly as she put clothes away in her bedroom. It was mid morning and she was feeling incredibly productive. The landscapers had arrived and she had set them to work. And then she had asked her sister-in-law, Gertrude, to begin cleaning the downstairs.

 Meanwhile Laura was finishing up the laundry in between making phone calls to follow up on the catering, flowers and tents. Preparations for the wedding – now only four days away – were well underway.

 As she walked out into the hallway she was startled to silence when the door to Frank’s old bedroom opened and Frank appeared. His dark head was still tousled and the pajama pants and bleary eyes definitely pointed to the fact that he had just wakened. But why was he in his old bedroom?

 “Frank? Is everything alright?” Laura asked. “Why are you sleeping in your old room?”

 Since he and his fiancée, Nancy Drew, had come home they had been sharing the guest bedroom, with Laura’s stated approval. It was apparent to both her and Fenton that Frank and Nancy were fully committed to their relationship, even if they hadn’t yet shared formal vows.

 Though Gertrude had been blatantly disapproving Laura knew _that_ , in and of itself, would not prompt the separate sleeping arrangements. Frank had never been one to give in to his Aunt’s bullying. No, the only thing she could think of that would drive her son into a room apart from Nancy was an argument with her. And a mere four days before the wedding. That could not bode well.

 Frank’s gaze shifted from hers and she thought she detected a hint of a blush on her oldest child’s face.

 “I, ahem, I just thought, um. Well, I was looking through some stuff until late, and I didn’t want to wake Nan so I just crashed in my old bed.”

 The guest room door opened before Laura could respond. Nancy stepped out, dressed in jeans and a scoop-necked t-shirt in a deep blue. Her gaze went unerringly to Frank and Frank’s gaze softened at the sight of her. She walked across the hall and reached up for a kiss and the young couple wrapped around each other, oblivious to her presence. Laura sighed, they certainly weren’t acting like they had had an argument.

 She cleared her throat and Nancy jerked away from Frank in surprise. Obviously the young woman hadn’t noticed her when she came out of the room. Nancy’s entire focus had been on Frank.

 “Good morning, Laura,” Nancy said, her cheeks reddening. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

 “That’s quite alright, dear,” Laura said. “I trust you slept well?”

 “Um, I slept . . . fine,” Nancy said. She glanced up at Frank with a smile that looked almost apologetic. “I think I’m going to head downstairs and get some breakfast. I was thinking maybe an omelet. Can I get you one, too, Frank?”

 “I’d love one, but I’ll be at least ten minutes. I need a shower before I get dressed.” Frank’s hands balled into fists and buried deep in the pockets of his pajama pants as he spoke.

 Nancy raised a hand and laid it on his cheek, her responding smile warm and affectionate. “I’ll wait to put the eggs in the pan until I hear the shower turn off. Can I get you anything, Laura?”

 “No thank you, Nancy. I’ve already eaten.”

 Laura was a bit surprised that Frank allowed his desire to show so plainly on his face as his heated gaze followed Nancy down the stairs. It was very unlike her son to be so open in front of her. She knew how deeply he felt about his fiancée, but she felt like a voyeur watching him watch Nancy.

 He pulled his bedroom door shut behind him and in two long strides was inside the guest room and closing the door.

 “Frank,” she called to stop him from shutting the door entirely.

 He stopped and turned, leaning out to look at her through the partially open door – only his head and bare torso visible. “Yeah, Mom?”

 “Is everything alright . . . between you and Nancy?”

 Again, she detected a hint of a blush under her son’s dark complexion, but he nodded. “It’s fine, Mom. Nan and I are fine.”

 “Should I change the sheets in your room?”

 “Uh . . . no,” Frank said sheepishly. “I’ll probably sleep in there again tonight.”

 “Frank, what’s wrong?”

 “Nothing, Mom. Nothing is wrong. Really.”

 “Alright,” she said slowly. “I’m sorry I intruded.”

 “Thanks, Mom.”

 The door closed behind Frank and Laura walked down the stairs. She would just have to see if Nancy told her the same story.

  **NH**  


 Fenton Hardy sat at his desk in the Hardy Investigator’s offices trying to reason with his obviously-worried wife.

 “Laura, calm down. If Frank said everything is alright, it’s alright. They’re both adults.”

 On the other end of the telephone line, Laura’s voice dropped to a furtive whisper. Fenton suspected it was to avoid being overheard to the subjects of their discussion – Frank and Nancy.

 “Fenton, I’m telling you that something is wrong. Frank was sleeping in his old room. Away from Nancy.”

 “I heard you the first time, Laura. And I’m telling you to leave it alone. They probably have their reasons and it’s really none of our business.”

 “But I hate to see them allow a silly argument to drive them apart so close to the wedding.”

 “I thought you said they seemed fine this morning. It’s probably already blown over.”

 “But Frank told me not to change the sheets. He said he’d probably be sleeping in there again tonight. Does that sound to you like the argument has blown over? I’m telling you, Fenton, you need to talk to your son.”

 Fenton sighed. “I’ll tell you what, sweetheart. I kind of need Frank in here to help out today, anyway. I’ll send Joe over to pick him up. Let Frank know he’s coming. If anyone can get the story out of Frank, it’s Joseph.”

 As he hung up the phone, he looked up to find his youngest son leaning in the doorway watching him with raised eyebrows.

“The story about what?” Joe asked.

“Your mother said she thinks Frank and Nancy have had an argument. Frank has apparently left the guest room and is now sleeping in his old bed.”

“Wow. Must have been one hell of a blow up. Frank and Nan are . . .” Joe stopped and slammed his mouth shut for a few seconds before continuing, “Um, well, they’re usually not ones to, uh, go to bed angry.”

With an amused snort, Fenton waved a hand at his youngest son. “Go pick up your brother and see if you can figure out what’s going on, please. Before your mother drives me insane.”

Joe grinned and pushed away from the door.

“You got it, boss,” he said as he left.

Fenton smirked as he leaned back in his chair. Joe didn’t have to dance around the issue. After all, Fenton had lived down the hall from Frank and Nancy off and on for the last month or so. It was impossible to ignore just how . . . active they were in the bedroom.

Perhaps that was what was lending some credence to Laura’s concerns in his mind. He couldn’t imagine his eldest willingly moving out of the bedroom he shared with his fiancée unless something was seriously wrong.

He couldn’t imagine it at all.

**NH**

 “Ok, Nan. Spill it.”

 Vanessa Bender looked at her future sister-in-law discerningly. She had just picked Nancy up so they could go to the seamstress for their final fitting. Their dresses were ready. It made the coming nuptials feel that much more real.

 Nancy’s heavy sigh was resigned. “Not you, too? Who told you?”

 “Joe called. He said his mom told his dad who told him. You and Frank don’t get away with much, you know,” Van grinned.

 “I should have known Laura wouldn’t let it go. Frank and Joe got a double-dose of nosy. And people tell me I’m bad.”

 Nancy lapsed into silence and Vanessa let it stretch for about a minute before prompting.

 “So? What’s up? Why is Frank sleeping in his old room all of the sudden?”

 “This is so embarrassing,” Nancy muttered.

 “You know that Laura thinks you’ve had a huge fight.”

 “How can she think that?” Nancy asked, turning incredulous eyes on Vanessa. “Geez, we were practically making out in the hallway in front of her this morning. Again, embarrassing.”

 Nancy’s eyes closed and she shook her head. Vanessa laughed.

 “Come on, Nan. You’ve been having sex with Frank two doors down from his parents off and on for the last month or more and you’re embarrassed about Laura catching you kissing in the hall?”

 “When you put it like that it sounds so . . . vulgar,” Nancy said with a grimace. She took a deep breath and blew it out. “We haven’t had sex since we got back to Bayport a few days ago.”

 Vanessa laughed.  “You’re kidding, right? Not to be too blunt, but you and Frank seem to have trouble keeping your hands off each other. And you’re none too subtle about it.”

 "Thanks for not being blunt, Van,” Nancy said. “Do we have to talk about this?”

 “Absolutely,” Vanessa said. “You aren’t going to get any peace until you come clean about what’s going on.”

 “We’re abstaining, ok?” Nancy said quietly.

 “Abstaining? From sex?” Vanessa pulled into the public parking lot in downtown Bayport and turned off the engine. She turned her full attention to Nancy. “What in the world for?”

 “We . . . well, I thought it might be nice to abstain until our wedding night – you know, to make it more special.” Nancy sighed and dropped her face into her hands. “It’s one week. Why is it such a big deal? Loads of people have sex far less often than once a week.”

 “Well, that’s true,” Vanessa said.  “So you guys didn’t have a fight or anything. You just agreed not to have a sex for a week before the wedding?”

 “Exactly.”

 “But you were sleeping together when you first came home,” Vanessa said.

 “ _Sleeping_ together, yes. Frank made it two nights. To be honest, it was a relief when he moved to his old room.”

 Vanessa stared at Nancy. “Two days? Jeez, how often do you two do it?”

 “Vanessa!” Nancy looked appalled.

 “Ah, come on. I mean, we’re modern women, Nan. How often do you and Frank have sex?”

 Nancy shook her head mutely.

 “Alright, I’ll start. Joe and I have sex, hm, probably two or three times a week . . . on average.”

 Cheeks blazing, Nancy mumbled, “We . . . are probably about that . . . sometimes.”

 “Come on, Nancy. I shared. Now it’s your turn.”

 Nancy sighed and stared studiously at her clasped hands. “Well, we probably average about every other day most of the month. Then maybe . . . two or three times a day . . .  when I’m ovulating.”

 Vanessa gaped at her. “Two or three times _a day_? Good grief. No wonder you’re acting so weird. You’re in withdrawal.”

 Nancy looked up and met Vanessa’s gaze . . . and they both burst into laughter.

  **NH**  


 Joe glanced over as his brother dropped into the passenger seat. Dressed in khakis paired with a dark blue polo, Frank looked sharp. He also looked relieved to be leaving their mother behind.

 “Thanks for rescuing me, little brother.”

 “Any time.” Joe put the car in drive and pulled onto Elm. “So, what’s up?”

 “Not much.”

 “That’s not what Dad says,” Joe said.

 “Oh for Christ’s sake,” Frank moaned. “Did Mom call Dad?”

 “Yes. And Dad told me to find out what’s going on,” Joe said with a cheeky grin. “Preferably, in his words, before Mom drives him insane.’

 “Why is everyone so interested in my sleeping arrangements,” Frank asked.

 “Mainly because they don’t appear to include Nancy,” Joe said matter-of-factly.

 Joe had to strain to hear Frank’s response.

 “Moving back to Bayport is looking more and more like a bad idea.”

 “Ah, don’t be that way, bro,” Joe said, chuckling. “Just tell me – did you and Nan have a fight?”

 “Like I told Mom this morning – no. Nan and I are fine.”

 “Then why aren’t you sleeping with her?”

 Frank sighed. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I promised her I wouldn’t . . . you know . . . until after the wedding.”

 “ _You know_ ,” Joe mocked his brother’s uncomfortable tone of voice and laughed. “You mean, have sex? Well, _that_ explains the separate sleeping arrangements.”

 “Yeah, only it isn’t helping. And then this morning Nan gave me a good morning kiss in front of Mom. I am totally incapable of resisting her, even with my mother standing right there . . .” Frank’s voice trailed off into a groan. “It’s going to be a long four days until the wedding.”

 “You had a hard on with Mom standing there?” Joe snorted. “You’re in bad shape, bro.”

  “You have no idea.” Frank slumped in the seat. “Four more days until the wedding. Four more days!”

 “How long has it been?” Joe asked. Based on his brother’s distressed expression, quite a while.

 “Three days.”

 Joe snorted. “Three days? It’s only been three days since you had sex? You’re kidding me, right?

 Frank straightened in his seat and glared at Joe.

 “No, I’m not kidding you.”

 Joe shook his head. “Three days . . . three lousy freaking days. You’d have thought it was a month the way you’re acting. And here I was feeling sorry for you.”

 “Shut up, Joe.”

 “Suck it up, big brother.” Joe smirked. “Three days . . .”

  **NH**  


 Frank lay in his old bed staring at the ceiling. His head was against the headboard and his feet still hung off the mattress at the other end. He didn’t remember his twin bed being this short. Like a lot of his friends, he had added a couple inches of height after high school. At six foot three, a regular twin bed just did not fit him anymore – not that it had ever fit him all that well.

 His brother had been less than sympathetic this morning . . . and this afternoon. In fact, Joe had razzed him mercilessly about his current situation all day. In the dark, Frank smirked at himself. It was pretty pitiful, if he was honest. What was three days? Or even a week. On Saturday he would put a ring on Nancy’s finger and she would be his for the rest of their life. If all it cost him was four more days of celibacy, what was the problem?

 He was still mulling this over, having given up trying to go to sleep long ago, when he heard the floor board near the door squeak. He’d always been grateful for that floorboard. He and Joe both knew how to avoid it, but it made it impossible for anyone else to move into his room undetected.

 Looking toward the door, he could just discern the shadowy outline of the person standing just inside his room. Immediate recognition shot through him like an electric shock. Damn, how did she do that? He couldn’t even really see her, but he knew it was Nancy even before she spoke.

 “Frank?” Her voice was quiet, tentative. “Are you awake?”

 It felt like his heart was going to gallop out of his chest, and it took intense concentration to keep from panting. The tightening in his groin was painfully exquisite. Was he awake? He’d never been more awake in his life. Or more intimately aware of another person.

 “Yes.”

 She moved further into the room. Frank held himself still, afraid that if he moved she would disappear. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe he was going nuts.

 “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I seem to have this weird urge to put irrational demands on you . . . on our relationship.”

 “It’s not irrational, Nan. It’s one week of abstinence. It’s ok. I can handle it.”

 She sank onto the edge of the bed. Frank’s hands balled into fists around the sheets. She was really testing his control.

 “I’m not so sure I can,” Nancy said quietly.

 Frank turned his head toward her. She sat angled toward him, her erect nipples evident under her tank top, even in the dim light of the moon shining through the window.

 “You’re teasing me, right?”

 “No, Frank, I’m not teasing you.” Nancy’s voice was amused, throaty, provocative.

 She leaned over, and the smell of her enveloped him as she pressed her lips to his. Her breast brushed his arm as she deepened the kiss, lips parting, tongue probing.

 To hell with control. Frank wrapped his arms around her slim waist, fingers automatically seeking out the lower hem of her shirt and slipping underneath to trail over her silky, warm skin. At his gentle urging, Nancy obliged, legs straddling his hips while her hands moved up to his shoulders. Their lips never parted.

 Hands slipping further up her back, Frank pulled her tight against his chest, but the intrusion of the tank top between them was intolerable. He broke the kiss and quickly stripped off her shirt and tossed it aside.

 Within seconds he was pulling her back down, reveling in the feel of her bare skin against his. Using his fingertips he traced the line where their skin seemed to meld into one, the surficial unity intensifying his desire for a deeper connection.

 Frank ran his hands slowly down the well-known contours of her back to the curve of her waist. There he paused long enough to slip his fingers under the intruding fabric of her pajama pants. All the while their lips remained locked, tongues swirling and exploring, the sensations all at once familiar and exciting.

 Sliding his hands inside her pants, he reached down and cupped her butt, hitching her up higher onto his hips so he could reach between her legs with adept fingers. Nancy gasped as his fingers found her dripping well, and suddenly it all made sense.

 “You’re ovulating.”

 Nancy drew back and smiled down at him. “You know my cycle better than I do.”

 “I was kind of hoping it would fall right around the beginning of our honeymoon, but I guess that was wishful thinking.”

 “I think it is a few days early,” Nancy said. “But I hate to waste it.”

 “Definitely,” Frank murmured.

 In one fluid motion, Frank rolled her to her back, and pushed her pants down around her knees, far enough that she could easily kick them off the rest of the way. Nancy stifled a giggle that quickly turned into a groan as he slid one hand up over her hip, allowing his thumb to trace a line along the inside of her upper thigh. Nancy’s legs parted, providing unobstructed access to her warm, inviting well.

 He buried his face in the curve of her neck, lingering there for awhile as he explored between her legs with his hand, his fingers becoming slick with her viscous juices. His mouth salivated at the memory of that taste. He began the journey down, pausing at each of her breasts only long enough to tease each nipple to a tight point before continuing lower.

 Obviously realizing his intentions as his lips traced a trail cross her stomach, Nancy moaned her protest, “Frank, no, please.”

 Her hands tangled into his hair, urging him back up. He gave in quickly, his desire to join with her trumping his other cravings. He would indulge those later, after he had sated the fervent need to become a part of her.

 His breath caught when her fingers slipped under the elastic of his pajama pants. Her splayed fingers trailed down his legs as she pushed the pants down. Anxious to remove the last barrier, he reached down to help. As the pants hit the floor he rolled on top of her, his patience with the foreplay evaporated now that there was nothing but their individuality between them.

 He met no resistance as he entered her, the slick juices allowing his rock hard penis to enter her tight, hot sheath smoothly. He echoed Nancy’s throaty sigh as the relief of their initial joining sated the yearning to become one, while igniting the first flicker of the more animalistic and basic need for release.

 Sinking into her, he allowed his weight to come to bear between her legs as she widened them. Her arms circled his shoulders, holding him tight against her. Their mouths met, gently exploring – at least at first. They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity but was in reality probably only a few precious minutes.

 Soon the bruising insistence of their mouths became a distant echo of the undeniable longing for more. The need so powerful that it overwhelmed the contentment of being as close as two people could be. Unwilling to draw out of her even a fraction, Frank began rocking within her, their hips grinding together persistently.

 The tension where their bodies met intimately mounted until it consumed every shred of Frank’s awareness. His mind could no longer spare even the unconscious energy used to breath, as every cell focused on his fast approaching climax.

 The overwhelming pleasure of his release was amplified by the nearly simultaneous response of Nancy’s body. They clung to each other as their cores pulsed and throbbed together – the potency of the orgasm leaving them both breathless.

 In the pleasant afterglow of their union, Frank buried his face in the curve of Nancy’s neck. It was his favorite place to indulge all of his senses in her as he felt her body relax beneath him, her sigh of contentment was sweet music to his ears.

 Her hands traced lazy patterns across his back, leaving pleasant warmth everywhere they traveled. The insomnia that had plagued him during the last three days away from her finally caught up to him. He drifted into sleep, completely contented.

  **NH**  


 Something was dragging her up out of the pleasant cocoon of sleep. She moaned, and shifted, the comfortable weight on her right side bringing to mind hazy, sensual memories of the night before.

 She stopped resisting the tug of wakefulness, and opened her eyes. Frank’s right arm and right leg draped over her, his lean body laying half on top of her. His handsome face was still relaxed in sleep, each exhale caressing her cheek. She sighed in contentment.

 During her ovulation cycle her yearning for Frank was always there, driving her to distraction until she satisfied it. Trailing light fingers over the muscular planes of his back, she could feel desire begin to lick through her entire body.

 She closed her eyes, allowing her wandering fingers free rein to explore his relaxed body, the exercise awakening every nerve to the familiar feel of him. His deep throaty chuckle stilled her hands.

 Opening her eyes, she was greeted by Frank’s smoldering gaze.

 “This has to be the best possible way to wake up,” he murmured, his breath tickling her neck, followed quickly by his lips tracing a burning trail across her collar bone to settle in the hollow of her throat.

 The knocking out in the hallway registered in her consciousness, but the pleasant stupor that Frank engendered in her entire being allowed her to ignore it since it wasn’t at the door to this room. Then, suddenly the door to Frank’s room burst open.

 “Frank, do you know where Nan . . . Oh, my.”

 The door slammed shut before either of them could acknowledge his mother’s presence. Frank leaned up on his elbow with an audible groan.

 “Jeez, Mom. Remember knocking?”

 “I am so sorry, you two. I thought . . . never mind.” Hurried footsteps retreated down the stairs.

 Frank looked down at Nancy, his gaze disbelieving. “Are you really sure you want to live here, sweetheart? My family can be more than a little meddlesome.”

 “If by live here, you mean in this house, absolutely not,” she said with a laugh.

 “I’m not sure around the corner is far enough away,” Frank said ruefully.

 Nancy laid her hand on his cheek, enjoying the familiar roughness of his morning stubble under her fingertips. She smiled at him warmly.

 “They meddle because they care about us, Frank.”

 There was another knock at the door. Aunt Gertrude’s voice snapped with disapproval. “You two are needed downstairs. Now. No dallying.”

 As Frank’s austere aunt’s footsteps faded down the stairs, Frank leaned down, his lips resuming their previous attention to her neck. Nancy shivered, making a feeble attempt to do as they had been told.

 “Aunt Gertrude said no dallying.”

 “I don’t plan to dally.”

 Frank’s husky response pushed any further protests from her mind. She wrapped her arms around him as he accepted the invitation of her open legs and moved between them. He teased her, stroking the length of his hard member along her sensitive crevice.

 She lost herself in the passion that was quickly becoming all-consuming. With each stroke she became more and more focused on the unity she craved with Frank. If he didn’t join with her soon, she was going to scream.

 Finally Frank teased her dripping opening with the tip of his penis. The external coitus had made her sheath small and tight but the slick juices of ovulation allowed him to slide inside without resistance.

 Frank set an achingly slow pace, the entire hard length of him slid along her clit as he delved deeper and deeper into her. When he could go no further, he pulled out at the same slow pace.

 His slow initial rhythm was maddening, and neither of them had the patience to sustain it. The next stroke was faster, the next faster still until they were thrusting against one another urgently.

 The coil deep within Nancy had tightened until it couldn’t tighten any more. It sprang loose, the released tension tearing a cry of ecstasy from her lips.

 Frank’s mouth bruised hers in a stifling kiss as her vaginal fist pulsed around him in crashing waves of pleasure. He groaned into her mouth as his own release exploded deep inside of her.

 Nancy clung to him, her entire body shuddering with the release. Frank sank onto her with a final moan, his face settling into the curve of her neck, as it almost always did. She sighed as the feel of his stubble on the sensitive skin of her neck sent a shiver down her body. Despite the deeply satisfying coupling of moments earlier, she could feel her desire re-igniting.

 Frank pushed himself up, smiling down into her face, his dark eyes warm and affectionate.

 “We better get downstairs. Before we have more company.”

 Nancy sighed in disappointment as he handed her some tissues and than got up. She would have been quite happy to indulge in a day of lazy passion with Frank. Unfortunately, that really wasn’t an option – at least not at the moment. Three more days and they would be married and on their honeymoon. The reminder returned the contented smile to her face.

 “What are you smiling about, Drew?” Frank looked down at her.

 “Just daydreaming about our honeymoon,” she said huskily.

 His responding smile was achingly intimate. “Me, too, sweetheart. Me too. Only three more days.”

 “Three more days,” she murmured.

 “So, are we back to the abstinence?” Frank tried to keep his voice neutral, but she detected the underlying hopelessness in it.

 She smiled up at him. “I think we can put that off until tomorrow.”

 “Thank goodness. I think I can handle two days. Obviously three is a stretch. Especially when you’re ovulating.”

 “I love you.”

 “I love you, too.”

  **NH**  


The suggestive sounds from inside Frank’s room left no doubt in Fenton’s mind about what was going on in there. He wasn’t about to make the same mistake his wife had. Fenton jogged back down the stairs without even knocking.

 Greeted first by his older sister’s disapproving gaze, he sighed. “Honestly, Gertrude, let it go. They’ll be married in three days and your disapproval will be moot.”

 With a sharp ‘harumph’ Gertrude returned to her cleaning duties in the living room, muttering under her breath.

 Laura’s pretty face was still pink with embarrassment. He couldn’t help the amused smile that curved his lips as he put an arm around her.

 “Are they coming?” Laura asked. “The pastor is waiting.”

 Chuckling, Fenton nodded. “They’ll be down shortly . . . I think.”

 “Didn’t you tell them?” Laura asked as she walked with Fenton into the kitchen.

 “Hell no. Let’s just get some refreshments and make the pastor comfortable. They’re bound to be done soon.”

 Laura sighed as she slipped away from him to retrieve a pitcher out of the cupboard.

 “If you say so, dear.” She clicked her tongue, a teasing smile dimpling her cheeks. “I will refrain from pointing out that Frank is very much his father’s son.”

 Fenton paused and sighed. “Alright, alright. I’ll go up and knock.”

 Laura smiled. “Thank you, dear.”

  **FINI**  



End file.
